AHaunting We Will Go
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: There are more haunts in the forest than even the Seven Dwarves know.  Snow and Dwarves romance.


Title: "A-Haunting We Will Go"  
>Author: Pirate Turner<br>Rating: PG  
>Summary: There are more haunts in the forest than even the Seven Dwarves know.<br>Warnings: Group Love, Het, Crossover  
>Word Count: 2,975<br>Date Written: 15 October, 2011  
>Challenge: For the XDisneyDreamer LJ comm's weekly challenge<br>Disclaimer: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Donald Duck, all other characters mentioned within, and the House of Mouse are ﾩ & TM Disney, not the author, and are used without permission. Everything else is ﾩ & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

"High ho! High ho! It's home from work we go!" The Dwarves sang a tune made merry despite their weariness for their eagerness to get home and claim what was waiting for them. They had had a long day in the mines today, starting even before sunrise to make up for the fact they would not be there tomorrow. No, tomorrow was a very special and magical day. It was Halloween, and though that meant all kinds of fun, it also meant that evil would be afoot and able to go anywhere it chose even more easily than normal. They had vowed together to protect the Princess of their hearts, and they would be steadfastly at her side all day and night tomorrow.

Doc pushed his glasses up his round nose and took a couple of small things out of the pockets on his chest. He opened his magnifier and looked through its lense at the ring he held. It sparkled just as brilliantly as it had when they had made it and, with a satisfied smile, Doc returned both the magnifier and the ring to their hiding places on his body. They had made several presents for their beloved Snow White over the last week, and they all looked forward to showering her with them.

It was nothing short of a miracle that she had come to them. They had been alone all their lives until she had entered their forest home, and though they'd thought themselves happy, he and a very few of the other Dwarves had always known that there was something missing. Snow had filled their aching gap in their hearts and the missing part of their lives, and ever since she'd joined them in their little cottage, the Dwarves had truly been happy at last. It got ever harder to leave her with each passing day, but that hardness was soothed by the fact that they could always make trinkets in the mines and bring them back to her to please her.

She always loved everything they gave her, but Doc knew, and blushed a deep crimson at the reality, his white beard curling with his embarrassment, that she loved them all the more. They could have given her nothing but themselves, and she still would have been thrilled to have them. No matter how happy they made her, however, Doc still believed that she made them even happier, including Grumpy who still grumbled nonstop. He'd seen the looks his brother wore when he had been drenched by a bath and Snow kissed him as a way of saying thanks for cleaning himself for her. Soaking wet and furious with having been drenched, Grumpy's attitude always suddenly shifted when Snow's rose red lips touched his, and Doc knew Grumpy heard the birds sing a love song just as they all did when Snow kissed them.

Dopey suddenly bumped into Doc from behind. Doc stumbled forward. His glasses fell off of his face. Happy turned to him and grasped him firmly, saving him just in the nick of time from falling, and Doc managed to grasp his glasses in mid-air. The two elder Dwarves looked back to Dopey.

Dopey blushed and ran his pointed boot over the dirt path on which they traveled. "I'm sorry," he said, clenching his hands behind his back as his big ears wriggled shamefully. "I was just thinking about Snow White, and I guess, I - " He blushed. "I'm sorry," he repeated, looking down at his feet. "I should have paid more attention to where I was walking." His ears wriggled again, and he dared not yet raise his eyes to meet their angry faces.

Yet the anger had seeped away from their faces the moment the youngest Dwarf had mentioned their beloved Snow White. "It's okay," Happy assured Dopey, patting his back. "We all get a little tongue-, and foot-, tied when we think of her."

Dopey looked up hopefully. "You're really not mad?"

"Nah," Doc assured him, "but do try to watch where you're walking from now on, okay, Dopey? We don't want you getting hurt."

"Or hurting somebody else," Grumpy muttered underneath his breath. The rest of their small process had stopped when Happy had turned back in a rush to help Doc. "Come on, you lot! Sun's sinking! We need to get to Snow before the nasties crawl out of their holes!"

Dopey looked up at Grumpy's face, which was red, as usual, from his anger. Dopey's own face paled, the color draining completely out of it. His ears wriggled with a might and speed as though they suddenly had lives all their own. He squeaked. He pulled his purple cap down tightly over his eyes, then slowly raised his eyes above its brim, and squeaked again.

"Oh, shut up and come on!" Grumpy exclaimed and waved Dopey off with his hand. He went stalking forward just in time to overhear a conversation between Bashful and Sleepy.

"We don't _really_," Sleepy's question was punctuated by a long and loud yawn, "have to stay awake _all_ night tomorrow night, do we?" He stretched.

"If we, hum, really wanna, hum, keep Snow White safe, then, hum, yeah, I guess we better stay wit' her all night," Bashful answered slowly while twisting his long, white beard in his hands. "It is, huh, after all, hum, you know, Halloween."

Sneezy nodded. "Halloween is . . . " He paused, pressing his finger to his red nose, and when he thought he had his sneeze contained again, he tried once more to complete his sentence. "Halloween is . . . is . . . is . . . " The sneeze was coming no matter what he did, and finally on his fifth "is", it broke free of his fragile control. Sneezy's sneeze sent him spinning as it echoed in the forest and scared the birds out of their nests.

"Bah!" Grumpy snarled and threw a dismissive hand in the direction of the trio. "Halloween's just another day. There ain't no more buggers comin' out tomorrow in this here forest than there is usually."

"Actually, Grumpy," Doc interjected, "I do believe you are quite mistaken on that . . . " He paused and looked pointedly at Dopey, who had now grabbed his and Happy's hands and was still stammering in fright. He climbed up into the air and then back down, his feet kicking hurriedly. "What is it, Dopey?"

"Th-Th-Th-There!" Dopey finally managed to get out. He released both Doc and Happy and pointed a shaking finger at something beyond Grumpy in the next clearing over.

They could just see the heads of the intruders to their beloved forest over the bushes. Five of the seven Dwarves had followed Dopey's shaking, pointing finger, and now their eyes grew as round and big as dinner plates.

"Ain't nothing to be afraid of on Halloween or any other night," Grumpy continued fiercely. "If they show their ugly heads in our forest, I'll just chomp 'em off!"

"Wha . . . Wha . . . What?" Sneezy questioned, helpless to complete his thought.

Doc was busily cleaning his glasses, putting them back on his nose, and looking through them again at the sight that had scared himself and all the other Dwarves who had looked in that direction. Only Grumpy remained immune to the intruders. "What if," Happy blustered up, "they don't have heads to chop off?"

"Everything's got a head," Grumpy snarled.

"Uh huh," Sleepy argued, suddenly more awake than he had been in months, and Bashful quickly nodded his head in agreement. His pudgy and shaking hands were almost completely buried in his beard now.

"What are you idiots talking about this time?" Grumpy groused, rolling his eyes and still not paying any attention whatsoever to that which all his companions were gawking. "Everythin's got a blasted head!"

"No," Doc said frightfully, grasping him from behind, "evidently they don't." He grabbed Grumpy's scowling face in his hands and turned him to look at the things at which he and the other Dwarves were all staring.

His red fury slowly drained from Grumpy's face. His beard curled upwards until it slapped him in the face. He peeled it back down and stared again.

Bashful at last found his voice. "G-G-GH-GHOSTS!" he screeched and raced for home.

"WAIT FOR ME!" Sleepy called and ran after him.

"AND ME!" Sneezy added. He started forward only to sneeze again, but he turned his head just in time to sneeze behind him. The winds of his sneeze pushed him forward and carried him quickly after his fleeing brothers.

"I'll be damned!" Grumpy snarled, his eyes flashing with fury and his mind whirling with disbelief.

"You . . . You may be d-d-d-da-da-damned," Dopey stuttered out, his ears wriggling and body trembling, "b-bu-but I-I'm not g-go-gonna be d-d-de-dead!" He raced after the others.

"I think," Happy whispered, watching the three ghosts, who had not yet turned to see them, thankfully, looking at them, "the lad's got a point."

Doc hurriedly nodded. "I agree. Come on, Grumpy. Tonight's no night to be a hero, and if you're too much of a hero, you might not make it back to our beloved Snow!" Clasping their hands together, he and Happy ran for home.

"Bunch of nincompoops," Grumpy muttered darkly. There had to be a reasonable explanation for why he was seeing three, ghostly white heads bobbing over the bushes as they walked down the trail, singing at the top of their lungs. "A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO! A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO!" Chills raced down his valiant spine. Though their voices were very odd, their song was still eerily similar to the song he and his brother Dwarves sang on the way in to the mines every morning. He started forward, his fingers closing around the handle of his pick axe, but suddenly the jack o'lantern perched atop the lead ghost's head turned to face him. "BOO!" it shouted, and Grumpy took off running before he could think to stop himself.

Behind him, the so-called ghosts screamed and dashed out of their sheets. They clambered together as they gazed down at the talking pumpkin that had fallen off one of their heads when they had jumped, trembling, together. Their round eyes stayed fixed on the pumpkin as they quivered together, every feather on their young bodies trembling. They had been planning to surprise their uncle early on with their classic costumes. It was a game they always played on Donald, but as he'd been getting wise to them, they'd decided to pull their pranks early enough that they would be sure to still catch him off of his guard.

Yet now, as they shook together, it no longer seemed like such a good idea to spook their uncle Donald, even if it was only the night before Halloween and not the actual, spooky holiday itself quite yet! They trembled together, their shallowed breathing; shaking, webbed feet; and terrified tremblings making quite the racket.

The jack o'lantern rolled back around, gazed up at them, and repeated itself. "BOO!" it yelled again, and the young ducks screamed as they ran out of the forest, leaving the jack o'lantern sitting all alone and laughing hollowly.

The jack o'lantern smiled once it had finally gotten its fill of laughter in the small ducks' wake. Donald would be quite pleased that his nephews had not managed to spook him yet this Halloween season and would be sure to reward the jack o'lantern once it reached him. Jumping up and down, the jack o'lantern slowly continued on its way to Donald Duck's house, smiling eerily to itself and thinking with glee that his spooky performance this evening was sure to win him a front row seat at the House of Mouse's Dead Man's Party tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, as Huey, Dewey, and Louie ran all the way home, so, too, did the Seven Dwarves. Grumpy had been the last one to run and was the last one to arrive home. The other six Dwarves had all already blasted into the cottage and shut the door behind them. Grumpy beat on the door until at last they opened it just wide enough that he could pass, snatched him in, and threw the door shut again.

Snow White stood watching them with amusement twinkling in her brown eyes and couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her as they shook from the tops of their ears to the ends of their boots while bolting down their front door with every loose board and nail they had in their cottage. "Why, you seven look like you've seen ghosts!" she exclaimed merrily.

"We have," Doc admitted, still shaken.

"We shouldn't've locked the doors, though. Ya lot should've let me at 'em!" Grumpy exclaimed, swinging his fists. "I could've taken 'em!"

"I'm sure you could have, Grumpy," Snow White assured him, barely managing to curtail the laughter that bubbled up within her throat. She reached out and gently touched his shaking shoulders. "But I'd much rather have you all safe with me here. I'll tell you what. Dinner's almost ready, but we can't very well wash our hands with those nasty ghosts right outside."

"They're outside?" Dopey squeaked, his ears wriggling. "Just outside?" His heart hammered so loudly it made his ears jump. He raced to a window and peered out fearfully.

"Well, you did say they were outside," Snow White pointed out with a calm and soothing smile. "But why don't you all come in front of the fire and tell me about these ghosts you saw?" she questioned. "I'd really love to hear the story of how your day went, although it seems the evening was the most interesting."

She bent and kissed Grumpy's cheek. He all but melted on the spot, the whole of his anger immediately draining out of him, and Snow laughed again as the other Dwarves eagerly lined up for their kisses. She kissed them each in turn, then led the way to their fireplace. "You can tell me all about the ghosts while dinner finishes cooking, and by that time, I'm quite certain they'll be gone and we can go wash up. So is Halloween really this fascinating every year in the forest, with ghosts and goblins all about, and you just haven't told me about it before?"

All eyes went to Grumpy. Every one of the other Dwarves expected his usual "Bah!" for Halloween as he gave it to every other holiday and always had to Halloween, too, until right now. Instead of his usual, dismissive response, Grumpy sat up proudly in his place before the fire. "We always have and always will protect you, Snow White."

"I know, my darling friends," Snow assured him, "and I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have all of you seven protecting me and being my friends." She patted Grumpy's back with her delicate hand. Her eyes sparkled with wonder and stole the breath of all seven Dwarves. "But what is Halloween truly like? I wanted to go to the Halloween costume party at the House of Mouse tomorrow night, but you always insist that we stay home on Halloween night. Are the ghosts you saw this evening part of that reason?"

"Y-Y-Yes," Bashful murmured, again twisting his beard.

"Halloween is a magical night," Doc explained, glancing at Grumpy to make sure he wasn't going to interrupt him with a "Bah!" after all. "Anything can happen on that night."

Snow graced them all with one of her most beautiful smiles. "Anything can happy on any night," she told him. "You've already taught me that." She leaned forward and kissed the nearest Dwarf, who happened to be Bashful. Bashful blushed as red as her lips, and his shy face disappeared entirely inside of the depths of his twisted beard.

"But on Halloween, it's not necessarily good," Doc cautioned.

"It can be, though," Dopey spoke up. "Candy's good, and costumes are fun."

"But ghosts aren't," Sleepy interjected, "or monsters or Witches or Demons . . . " His words trailed off into a huge yawn.

"Now, that's not necessarily true," Happy argued lightly. "Some of them aren't. Others are very good. We've known a few good Witches and ghosts too."

"But if they're mean, don't worry, Snow," Grumpy assured her, lifting his pick axe. Its silver blade glowed in the dancing firelight. "I'll take care o' 'em."

"How?" Sneezy asked. "What'll ya do - chop their heads off when they ain't got a-a-a-an-an-any?" He barely managed to complete his query as he sneezed again; this time he was knocked off of his seat and sent spinning around the cottage.

Snow White hid her laughter behind her hand. Grumpy growled, his eyes flashing furiously, and started to yell. His pick axe rose into the air, but then he found her kissing him and quickly lowered his weapon instead. He melted into her kiss with a happy sigh barely silenced by the tight press of his lips against hears.

When she had finished calming his beast, Snow White stood and looked around at her beloved friends. "Whatever Halloween brings," she assured, beaming at them all, "I know you will keep me safe from its dangers, but I am also quite certain that we'll all have delightful fun together for, after all," her smile grew, "we are together and that is when the most fun happens." She darted forward and gave their Halloween a new start, kissing each little face in turn. She found herself kissing Grumpy again as he'd quickly made his way to the end of the line and then starting all over as the other Dwarves once more piled up behind him. She laughed happily and continued kissing them, loving them all not only throughout Halloween but for forever after as well.

**The End**


End file.
